Exterior lighting systems for vehicles are well known to the public and in the industry as being used for safety and for increasing the overall aesthetic appeal of a vehicle. An exterior lighting system of a vehicle may include headlamps, rear lights, brake lamps, reverse lights, turn signals, and the like. These lighting systems are generally required for safety purposes and are employed to signal other drivers of one's intentions and to provide visibility in areas and at times when there is not adequate natural light to see safely.
Additional exterior lighting systems, such as markers, spotlights, and floodlights, may be added to the vehicle for a variety of reasons, including enhancing the safety of the vehicle and its occupants, improving the overall appearance and appeal of the vehicle, facilitating sporting uses such as off-road driving, or to provide a portable light source to illuminate fixed objects exterior to the vehicle. Many of these exterior lighting systems are mounted on the roof of a vehicle and require that multiple large holes be punched into the roof for both assembly purposes and for providing means to access the electrical wiring harness of the vehicle.
The size of the assembly holes is dictated by the size of the lighting system being added to the vehicle and its impact on the aerodynamics of the vehicle. A lighting system that greatly increases the frontal surface of a vehicle will negatively impact the aerodynamics of the vehicle which in turn negatively impacts fuel economy and increases wind noise. Also, fasteners for securing the lighting assembly to the vehicle must be properly sized to account for the wind resistance of the lighting assembly. The larger the fasteners required to secure the lighting system, the larger the holes required in the sheet metal of the vehicle. Large holes in the sheet metal decrease its effectiveness as a sound deadener, thus increasing the level of outside noise that enters the cabin of the vehicle. Such holes also provide potential avenues for contaminants or water, which can result in inconveniences or undesirable damage to the vehicle.
These exterior lighting accessories are often added to vehicles after the vehicles have been assembled and sent to dealerships or sold to customers. Typically, one or more of the interior components of the vehicle, such as the headliner, interior door coverings, pillar coverings, or carpeting, may be disturbed when installing conventional or previously known exterior lighting and the required wiring.
One alternative to mounting a lighting system to the roof of a vehicle may be to mount a lighting system to an aftermarket frame that has been secured to the vehicle. While these added frames minimize the issues of adding holes to sheet metal and disturbing the interior of the vehicle, typically these frames are made of metallic components and add considerable weight to the vehicle, resulting in loss of fuel economy. Along with adding weight to the vehicle, these “stand-off” type frames and lighting systems typically extend several inches above the roof line of the vehicle, thus increasing air resistance as the vehicle is in motion, which in turn increases wind noise and leads to an even further loss of fuel economy. Also, these aftermarket frames are generally added only to vehicles such as pickup trucks that can support the weight of the frame and are not encumbered by a roof that extends the entire length of the vehicle.
Therefore, a need exists for a vehicle light bar assembly that can be adapted for use on a wide variety of vehicles and mounted to the exterior surface of the vehicle such that the impact to the aerodynamic air flow of the vehicle is minimized. Also, the vehicle light bar assembly may be secured to the exterior surface without disturbing the interior components of the vehicle and unduly stressing the exterior sheet metal of the vehicle. The vehicle light bar should seal the potential leak paths for contaminants and water into the vehicle as well.